Publication Details

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the death of Hans Jonas. The article investigates ethical principles formulated by Jonas which still have influence on modern ethical thinking. The aim is to draw attention to his impact on current ethical conceptions and their principles, and to highlight the point that it was Jonas who enriched the idea of “purposes in themselves” through the principle of responsibility towards nature. Extending responsibility beyond the scope of human affairs is, in his view, good for humans, and therefore good in itself. According to Jonas we have an obligation to take on the role of a caretaker, and therefore the care of nature must be part of the values and ethical principles. Jonas drew attention to the limits of anthropological ethics and to the need to take into account the external conditions of human life. He pointed out the necessity to consider the future of human existence, thus diverging significantly from the contemporary understanding of human rights and obligations, creating prerequisites for the emergence of environmental ethics as science. The conclusion of the study evaluates the significance of the work of Hans Jonas and outlines how the extension of moral rights has influenced the ethical relationship of a contemporary man to “the whole of things.”